The complete mitochondrial genome of Triphysa phryne (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae)

Complete mitochondrial genome of the Minois paupera Alphéraky, 1888 (nymphalidae: satyrinae) and its phylogenetic analysis

The present study firstly reported a complete mitochondrial genome of Minois paupera (Alphéraky, 1888), a Satyrinae species endemic to China. This mitogenome is circular, 15,213 bp in length, and consists of 37 typical mitochondrial genes, including 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNAs, and two rRNAs. The phylogenetic position was inferred using 31 previously published complete mitogenomes, and the results reveal that M. paupera is the most closely related to Minois dryas. The complete mitogenome of M. paupera provides useful genetic information for further research on the phylogeography and phylogeny of the genus Minois.

Characterization of the complete mitochondrial genome of an endemic species in China, Aulocera merlina (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae) and phylogenetic analysis within Satyrinae

The mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) has been extensively used as molecular markers in determining the insect phylogenetic relationships. In order to resolve the relationships among tribes and subtribes of Satyrinae at the mitochondrial genomic level, we obtained the complete mitogenome of Aulocera merlina (Oberthür, 1890) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae) with a size of 15,259 bp. The mitogenome consisted of 37 typical genes, including 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 2 ribosomal RNA genes (rRNAs), 22 transfer RNA genes (tRNAs), and an A + T-rich region. The gene organization and arrangement were similar to those of all other known Satyrinae mitogenomes. All PCGs were initiated with the canonical codon pattern ATN, except for the cox1 gene, which used an atypical CGA codon. Nine PCGs used the complete stop codon TAA, while the remaining PCGs (cox1, cox2, nad4, and nad5) were terminated with a single T nucleotide. The canonical cloverleaf secondary structures were found in all tRNAs, except for trnS1 which lacked a dihydrouridine arm. The 448 bp A + T-rich region was located between rrnS and trnM, and it included the motif ATAGA followed by a 19-bp poly-T stretch and a microsatellite-like (TA)6 element preceded by the ATTTA motif. The phylogenetic tree, inferred using Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood methods, generated similar tree topologies, revealing well-supported monophyletic groups at the tribe level and recovering the relationship ((Satyrini + Melanitini) + ((Amathusiini + Elymniini) + Zetherini)). The close relationship between Satyrina and Melanargiina within the Satyrini was widely accepted. Additionally, Lethina, Parargina, and Mycalesina were closely related and collectively formed a sister group to Coenonymphina. Moreover, A. merlina was closely related to Oeneis buddha within the Satyrina. These findings will provide valuable information for future studies aiming to elucidate the phylogenetic relationships of Satyrinae.

Mitogenomic phylogeny of nymphalid subfamilies confirms the basal clade position of Danainae (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)

The phylogenetic relationships among the nymphalid subfamilies have largely been resolved using both morphological and molecular datasets, with the exception of a conflicting basal clade position for Libytheinae or Danainae that remains contentious between morphological and molecular studies. Several phylogenomic analyses have found that the danaine clade is sister to other nymphalid subfamilies; however, it largely depends on utilizing different molecular datasets, analysis methods, and taxon sampling. This study aimed to resolve the basal clade position and relationships among subfamilies and tribes of Nymphalinae by combining the most comprehensive available mitogenomic datasets with various analyses methods by incorporating a new Symbrenthia lilaea Hewitson sequence data. Phylogenetic relationships among 11 nymphalid subfamilies and the tribes of Nymphalinae were inferred by combining new and available mitogenomic sequence data from 80 ingroup and six outgroup species. The phylogenetic trees were reconstructed using maximum-likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) methods based on five concatenated datasets: amino acid sequences and nucleotides from different combinations of protein-coding genes (PCGs), ribosomal RNA (rRNAs), and transfer RNA (tRNAs). Danainae is well-supported as the basal clade and sister to the remaining nymphalid subfamilies, except for the paraphyletic Libytheinae. Libytheinae was either recovered as a sister to the danaine clade followed by the satyrine clade or sister to the nymphaline + heliconiine clades, and is consistent with recent phylogenetic studies on Nymphalidae. The monophyletic Nymphalinae has been recovered in all analyses and resolves tribal-level relationships with high support values in both BI and ML analyses. We supported the monophyletic Nymphalini as a sister clade to Victorini, Melitaeini, and Kallimini + Junoniini with high supporting values in BI and ML analyses, which is consistent with previously published morphological and molecular studies.

Fourteen complete mitochondrial genomes of butterflies from the genus Lethe (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Satyrinae) with mitogenome-based phylogenetic analysis

The mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) can help us understand the phylogenetic relationships within the genus Lethe and the subfamily Satyrinae. In this study, we sequenced the complete mitogenomes of 14 Lethe species, which range in size from 15,225 to 15,271 bp, with both 37 genes (13 PCGs, 22 tRNAs, 2 rRNAs) and a noncoding A + T-rich region. The gene arrangement and orientation is similar to typical mitogenomes of Lepidoptera. The Ka/Ks ratio shows that cox1 has the slowest evolutionary rate. The secondary structure of trnN lacks the Pseudouracil loop (TψC loop) in most Lethe species. The inferred phylogenetic analyses show that Lethe is a well-supported monophyletic group, and reveal 2 major clades within the genus Lethe, which is consistent with previous morphological classifications.

The complete mitochondrial genomes of two Japanese endemic Satyrinae butterflies, Neope goschkevitschii and Lethe sicelis (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae)

Neope goschkevitschii and Lethe sicelis are endemic Satyrinae butterflies in mainland Japan, which belongs to the Palearctic realm. In this study, we determined the mitochondrial genomes of these two species. The total length of the mitochondrial genome was 15,286 bp and 15,196 bp for N. goschkevitschii and L. sicelis, respectively, and both mitochondrial genomes were extremely AT-rich. Phylogenetic analysis revealed each of these species was closely related to a member of the same genus, respectively.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Papilio glaucus and its phylogenetic implications

Due to the intriguing morphology, lifecycle, and diversity of butterflies and moths, Lepidoptera are emerging as model organisms for the study of genetics, evolution and speciation. The progress of these studies relies on decoding Lepidoptera genomes, both nuclear and mitochondrial. Here we describe a protocol to obtain mitogenomes from Next Generation Sequencing reads performed for whole-genome sequencing and report the complete mitogenome of Papilio (Pterourus) glaucus. The circular mitogenome is 15,306 bp in length and rich in A and T. It contains 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer-RNA-coding genes (tRNA), and 2 ribosomal-RNA-coding genes (rRNA), with a gene order typical for mitogenomes of Lepidoptera. We performed phylogenetic analyses based on PCG and RNA-coding genes or protein sequences using Bayesian Inference and Maximum Likelihood methods. The phylogenetic trees consistently show that among species with available mitogenomes Papilio glaucus is the closest to Papilio (Agehana) maraho from Asia.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Parnassius cephalus (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae: Parnassinae)

The complete mitochondrial genome of Parnassius cephalus is 15,343 bp in length, containing 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNA genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes and a noncoding AT-rich region. All the 13 PCGs are initiated with the codon ATN, except for COI gene which starts with codon CGA. Eleven PCGs stop with the termination codon TAN, while the COI and COII genes end with single nucleotide T. All the tRNA genes have the typical secondary clover-leaf structures except tRNA^{Ser (AGN)}, which loses its DHU stem. The two rRNA genes (lrRNA and srRNA) are 1341 bp and 777 bp in length, with their AT contents being 83.75% and 85.33%, respectively. The AT-rich region is 487 bp in length, and contains some conservative structures similar to other butterfly mitogenomes, such as a 17 bp poly-T stretch preceded by the ATAGA motif, and a microsatellite-like (AT)₁₀ element preceded by the ATTTA motif.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Callerebia suroia (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae)

The complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Callerebia suroia (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae) was determined and analyzed in this paper. The circular genome is 15,208 bp long, including 37 typical mitochondrial genes and one non-coding AT-rich region. All protein-coding genes (PCGs) started with ATN, except for COI gene with CGA(R), which is often found in other butterflies; nine PCGs harbor the typical stop codon TAA, whereas COI, COII, ND5 and ND4 end with a single T. All tRNA genes display typical secondary clover-leaf structures, except for tRNA(Ser)(AGN), whose dihydrouridine (DHU) arm is replaced by a simple loop. The lrRNA and srRNA genes are 1,347 bp and 753 bp in length, with their AT contents of 84.4% and 85.4%, respectively. The 417 bp AT-rich region contains non repetitive sequences, but harbor several features common to the lepidopterans, including the motif ATAGA followed by a 19-bp poly-T stretch and a microsatellite-like (TA)8 element preceded by the ATTTA motif.